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TRUMBULL -- Of the many components that have helped the Staples football team maintain its status among the elite teams in the FCIAC this season, depth and special teams are among the ones least frequently discussed.

They took center stage Friday night, crystallized by one play long after the outcome had been decided.

Jon Heil's 54-yard touchdown run off a bad snap on a punt attempt put the exclamation point on the Wreckers' resounding 38-16 win.

"We work hard on that," Staples coach Marce Petroccio said of his kicking and return games.

"We put a premium on that."

Joey Zelkowitz led a strong ground game with a pair of touchdowns, while quarterback Jack Massie threw for one score and ran for another as the Wreckers improved to 5-0.

Heil was teased by a reporter afterward that his scoring run was a way to serve notice he is deserving of more touches despite the team's deep stable of running backs.

"Originally it was just a bad snap," Heil said.

"I looked up and didn't think I could get it off in time, and then I saw a hole and figured I would just take it."

Heil has been waiting patiently -- and without complaint -- while Zelkowitz (16 carries, 88 yards) and Nick Kelly (9 carries, 48 yards) get the bulk of the work.

"Tonight he showed a little bit of what he can do," said Petroccio, acknowledging that Heil has the talent to play but is a victim of the numbers game. Staples finished the night with 223 yards on the ground.

The game was played against the backdrop of an emotional nine days for Trumbull coach Bob Maffei, who first lost his long-time mentor, former Eagles coach Jerry McDougall, and then his father earlier this week.

"It's been tough but that's no excuse," said Maffei, whose team fell to 2-3 after its third straight loss. "We gave them the game. They worked on 25 yards of field. Our special teams were horrible today. You can't give a team like Staples a short field. They didn't have to drive the ball."

Maffei was going for his 100th career win, and the Eagles initially seized the momentum at the outset. After Massie hit Zach Mitchell with a 53-yard bomb on the game's first play, the Trumbull defense came up with a goal-line stand, stopping the Wreckers on two tries from the 1-yard line.

But James Frusciante's interception of Trumbull quarterback Nick Roberts set up the first score, on the following play, Zelkowitz's 15-yard run that gave Staples a 7-0 lead.

Zelkowitz scored his second touchdown early in the second quarter, following a short punt. Three plays later, Zelkowitz spurted through a huge hole up the middle for an 8-yard run that made the score 14-0.

With Trumbull pinned in deep on the ensuing kickoff, the Staples defense held and got the ball on the Eagles' 23 following Kelly's punt return. The Wreckers again needed just one play to score, with Massie finding Frusciante alone.

Trumbull, which had turned the ball over two times and struggled offensively, came right back behind its star fullback Don Cherry, whose 27-yard run set up his 13-yard score.

Dave Ruden can be reached at dave.ruden@scni.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DaveRuden.